DATELINE: fishtrap, wa                                                    

Author: Karl

Road trips are fun Karl, that's what I just keep telling myself. We're on the 3rd minivan with probably $1,000 worth of damage to the last 2, and I have to go through the fun process of now filling out yet another insurance claim form. The newest cannonball is substantially smaller, only a dodge caravan, and not designed for cargo. We somehow stuff all my bags into the van, many of which are now splitting apart with my clothing spilling out all over the place. Melted chocolate, diet coke spills and mystery lotion slick coats the last vans interior. Budget would be stupid to ever want to rent a car to me again... Chances are cannonball III will also be returned in the same ravaged state as the first 2.

My perspective on the deer decapitation: I was fast asleep at 3am. We were driving in the remote state of Montana in the absolute darkest and most desolate pitch black night I can ever recollect, no lights on the horizon, no other cars, just black. When the tank hits half you start worrying when u will ever see another gas station. I feel the car slow down and swerve right, I wake up from my delirious sleep seconds from impact. I see the deer standing still in the left lane. Andy cuts into the right shoulder and slows down to about 60 mph. In the last possible moment this deer makes a suicidal dart for the KIA. Andy makes the smart move not to jerk the wheel hard, which could have ended in tumbling inferno, but tries to keep it as right as he can without flying off the road. Then I hear a load thud against the front left of the car and see what looks like a football sized object launch into the night sky. It took me close to 1 minute to realize that this was in fact not a dream and really happening. According to the casino guy in Ananconda at least we didn't hit a cow ... why? Because if you hit a cow in Montana you have to pay the farmer for it.

Will we ever make it to san fran??

As Andy mentioned, all good stories end in a trilogy. Neither a rock in the road, a charging deer nor Grillz Mcgee could stop this journey, we roll on to the north western corner of the USA... Forward we press on without looking back.